The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Capturing magic & memories
Dexter's Martin sees the big picture behind her photographs
By Lindy Stevens, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: July 24, 2008
Any good photographer knows that having the right angle can make all the difference when it comes to a great picture.
Advertisement
But when it comes to photos by local photographer Wendy Martin, the woman behind the flash is what really makes the shot come to life.
As a mother, wife, photographer and special education teacher, the Dexter native is a woman who wears many hats, but whatever role she's in Martin's bubbly personality always seems to shine through.
Aside from weddings, senior pictures, family portraits and other standard fare photo ops, Martin specializes in photography for children with special needs - an area that allows her to tie all of her daily roles into one.
Working primarily with kids and teens who have autism, behavior issues and cognitive impairments, Martin takes photos for both special-needs baseball and soccer leagues and for individual families.
Whether it's one child or an entire team, though, Martin said she views every photo shoot as a chance to capture memories that most parents have probably never been able to get with their own point-and-click cameras.
She said unpredictable behavior can make it difficult for parents of special needs children to schedule the standard portrait session that most kids are forced to sit through.
Even with her own family, Martin said typical staged photos from department stores just don't mesh well with her kids' changing moods.
"I don't even want to take my own 2-1/2-year-old to J.C. Penney for a picture because you just never know how they're going to act," Martin said.
That's why she travels to individual family homes for nearly all of her photography work.
"There's no reason that people shouldn't have a family picture or pictures of their kids just because they're afraid to go get it done," Martin added.
Though she said the familiar setting helps put kids at ease, whenever Martin goes to take photos, her camera never comes out right away.
Before she gets behind the lens, Martin said she tries to have a conversation with the kids - a discussion that usually comes naturally with her self-described "elementary school teacher personality."
Martin said her 12 years of experience in special education also helps put parents at ease - and usually means the child will put their best face forward, too.
The final product of her unique approach means that families end up with a lasting memory that's rarely been captured in a single shot.
"They're so thankful to finally have a picture of what they know their child looks like because they've never been able to get it and put up in a frame," Martin said.
But even when she isn't taking photos for special needs children, Martin said she never likes to abandon the candid nature of her photography.
An outspoken critic of the classic "cheese face," Martin has a photojournalistic approach that uses lots of natural light and avoids staged poses and uncomfortable grins.
In all of her work, whether it's an elderly couple dancing at a wedding or a newborn napping at home, Martin said a good photo for her means she's managed to capture a real moment.
"I love catching people that are interacting with each other," Martin said. "Especially when they're looking into each other's eyes and they're truly happy and not just giving me a forced smile."
To pursue her interest further, the 37-year-old mother of two recently decided to take a year off from her teaching job in Novi to focus on expanding her already booming photography business.
With 15 weddings already booked for this year, Martin said she hoped the extra time off would be an opportunity to focus on work and get more involved in the Dexter community.
Though Marin started taking pictures alongside her mother when she was in her late 20s, she said she began to look at photography as more than just a hobby after her son Jack was born five years ago.
Since then, Martin's business has grown mostly through word of mouth; and although she certainly has a love and an eye for photography, she said the biggest challenge in her job is finding time to edit her photos.
"After the kids are in bed and I take care of my house and all the other things, I'm usually in front of my computer editing," Martin said.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
Expanded
Web
Coverage
TOP JOBS
